Memorial Fund Honoring Chris Thompson

We are honored to create this Memorial Fund in honor of Chris Thompson, a dedicated veteran, committed paramedic/firefighter, active adventurer, loving son, brother and grandson, world's best uncle, and incredible mentor to his Gold Star mentee, Hunter. Chris made a deep impact in the world while he was here, giving everyone a chance to experience his booming laugh and contagious smile, but also seriously dedicating himself to protect and defend all he held dear. At Chris's family's request, this Memorial Fund, in honor of Chris, will be 100% donated to his Gold Star mentee, Hunter.


Chris was an incredible addition to our organization, Active Valor, and took his mentorship role with his mentee, Hunter, very seriously. You could always find Hunter perched proudly on Chris’ shoulders at each event. When asked what he liked about Chris, Hunter would say that he was “nice and funny” and with a wide, shy smile say “I just do.” Hunter had lost his father (who was also in the Navy) before he was born. Chris was an unmatched male role model who went out of his way to ensure Hunter always knew he was there for him. Chris and Hunter were an inseparable pair, who tackled life's biggest challenges together and got to experience some pretty amazing memories together. As Hunter's mother writes, "Chris walked into the life of a little boy who had lost his father in service to our country. He didn’t have to but he did so willingly and in an enormously meaningful way. Chris was a great human and the world is just a little sadder without him in it. We will always cherish the memories we have with him and will remain forever grateful he came into our lives."


He made sure to see Hunter as often as possible, traveling hours to attend his rugby games, cheered him on from the sidelines, brought back tokens from his adventurous travels, and truly dedicated himself to be fully available to this little boy who looked (a great distance up) to Chris. 


Hunter's mother remembers, "When Hunter knew that Chris was going to come watch him play at one of his rugby games, he was so excited and told his team at each practice leading up to the game. I have never watched Hunter play harder than when Chris was on the sidelines cheering him on. While his teammates had their mothers and fathers on the sidelines cheering them on, he had this very cool mentor who he was excited to show off. Chris seemed to have just as much pride and joy in being there to support Hunter."


Chris took full advantage of all this world had to offer, traveling daringly into the great unknown, to see many sights some of us could barely imagine getting to. His love for nature was truly striking, and loved seeing what new heights he reached, when he wasn't working. The most loyal man, Chris always put his family first and made time no matter what to be with his niece Nyah. His laughter, humor, and presence would light up any room and there wasn’t a person who met him who didn’t love him.


After discharging from the military, Chris became a firefighter/EMT and dedicated his life to protecting and serving our citizens back at home. His love for others was clear, and his mission to serve others never stopped. 


Chris's ability to lead and motivate others was inspiring, something that both his fellow classmates and staff admired most about him. He successfully led 37 others as the Academy Leader for the 55th Palomar Basic Fire Academy, a role that demands dedication, teamwork, and selflessness. Above all, he showed an unwavering passion for serving others, which is a true testament to his character and type of person that the Fire Service and our community idolizes. 


At his family's request, please join us in celebrating Chris's life by donating to this Memorial Fund in lieu of sending flowers. Chris was constantly finding ways to do more to give back, and maintains that role even now. As Hunter's mom concludes, "the world has lost such a good person" and we couldn't agree more. We look forward to seeing him again one day, but for now, we will do everything in our power to keep his memory vibrantly alive.